15 Best Super Bowl National Anthem Performances of All Time
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Oh say, can they SING!
Kicking off the biggest game of the year every season is the Super Bowl national anthem performance. Only the best and brightest are invited to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, but that doesn't mean all of the performances are equally stellar. We've rounded up the best Super Bowl national anthem performances of all time—and if these don't make you appreciate football, they'll at least make you feel more patriotic.
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15 Best Super Bowl National Anthem Performances
15. Pink, 2018
Pink was initially worried that a sore throat would hinder her national anthem performance ahead of the 2018 Super Bowl—and you can even see her remove a lozenge right before she begins to sing. Considering she can deliver vocals while upside down in a trapeze under normal circumstances, we're not at all shocked that she killed it despite being under the weather.
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14. Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan, 2021
Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church joined forces in 2021 for a blues-tinged version of the national anthem. His country guitars blended beautifully with Sullivan's soulful vocals, and their performance remains critically underrated to this day.
Watch Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan perform the national anthem here.
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13. Demi Lovato, 2020
Demi Lovato proved she has the best vocals of her generation with her crisp yet powerful performance of the national anthem at the 2020 Super Bowl.
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12. Cher, 1999
While "The Star-Spangled Banner" is a challenging song for vocalists in almost any range, Cher used her trademark alto to absolute perfection here, including on the song's highest notes.
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11. Kelly Clarkson, 2012
Kelly Clarkson was, is and remains perfect. No notes!
Watch Kelly Clarkson's national anthem performance here.
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Has a man ever sung the national anthem at the Super Bowl?
Numerous men have sung the national anthem at the Super Bowl, including:
Lloyd Geisler in 1969
Doc Severinson in 1970
Charley Pride in 1974
Tom Sullivan in 1976
The Colgate Thirteen in 1979
Barry Manilow in 1984
Neil Diamond in 1987
Herb Alpert in 1988
Billy Joel in 1989 and 2007
Aaron Neville solo in 1990 and with Aretha Franklin in 2006
Luther Vandross in 1997
Eric Church with Jazmine Sullivan in 2021
Chris Stapleton in 2023
10. Billy Joel, 2007
Billy Joel first performed the national anthem at the Super Bowl in 1989 without any accompaniment, then again in 2007 with his piano, making him the first and so far only artist to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" ahead of the big game twice.
Watch Billy Joel's 2007 Super Bowl national anthem performance here.
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9. Mickey Guyton, 2022
Country star Mickey Guyton had a major mainstream breakthrough thanks to her powerhouse performance at the 2022 Super Bowl, accompanied in some harmonies by a choir. She even looked patriotic in her stunning cobalt gown. Give this woman her flowers!
Watch Mickey Guyton's beautiful 2022 Super Bowl national anthem performance here.
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8. Jennifer Hudson, 2009
Jennifer Hudson took the Super Bowl stage in 2009 just months after the horrific murders of her mother, brother and nephew—and her performance showed not just the strength of her vocals, but also her incredible resilience and character in the face of unimaginable adversity.
Watch Jennifer Hudson's powerhouse Super Bowl national anthem performance here.
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7. The Chicks, 2003
Shortly before then-President George W. Bush started the Iraq War over unfounded and unsubstantiated claims of weapons of mass destruction—a war that continues to this day—The Chicks (then known as The Dixie Chicks) brought their signature harmonies to the national anthem. They would later be effectively blacklisted and targeted with constant harassment for criticizing Bush.
Watch The Chicks' national anthem performance here.
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6. Beyoncé, 2004
Beyoncé graced her native Houston for the 2004 Super Bowl national anthem performance a full nine years before she'd make history with her blackout-inducing Halftime Show.
Watch her show-stopping take on "The Star-Spangled Banner" here.
5. Lady Gaga, 2016
A year before Lady Gaga performed the Super Bowl Halftime Show (where she also seriously delivered), Mother Monster belted her heart out with the national anthem, showing that for all of her usual spectacle and attention-grabbing antics, her best assets are simply her powerhouse pipes.
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4. Chris Stapleton, 2023
Chris Stapleton brought people to tears with his rendition of the national anthem at the 2023 Super Bowl, including Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and Eagles center Jason Kelce.
3. Luther Vandross, 1997
At the 1997 Super Bowl, Luther Vandross turned "The Star-Spangled Banner" into the slow jam we never knew we needed.
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Has Mariah Carey ever sung the national anthem at the Super Bowl?
2. Mariah Carey, 2002
Mariah Carey delivered the national anthem at the first Super Bowl after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001—which would also be the first time Tom Brady ever got a ring—and the only bells and whistles she needed were her own belts and whistle notes. Perhaps put best by a YouTube comment on Mimi's performance: "Al Qaeda dislikes this."
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Who sang the best national anthem at Super Bowl?
1. Whitney Houston, 1991
Whitney Houston solidified her legacy with a performance of the national anthem that transcended generations. Houston's soaring vocals on "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the 1991 Super Bowl—just 10 days into the Gulf War—led the song to actually debut at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, higher than any other first-week single from the music icon at that point in her career.
Houston's rendition charted once again after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, with Houston donating all proceeds from the recording to 9/11 first responders. If God ever did bless America, it happened when Houston touched the mic. Not only is hers the best performance of the national anthem ever at the Super Bowl, but it's also, by a mile, hands-down the best performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" of all time.
